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- May 9, 2018
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Kyren Williams has quickly become the Rams' RB1. The quality that I'd say has put him in that position, more than any other, is his ability to perform all three roles needed from a RB: running, receiving, and pass blocking.
Right now, the Rams can't afford to be predictable. Playing a RB who is not adept at all three roles, therefore, is a big problem, as he can telegraph what the offense is doing simply by being on the field.
Perhaps, in addition to his attitude, this was one of the problems the Rams saw in Cam Akers. Akers played 28 snaps in Week 1. 22 of those plays were handoffs to him. Williams, by contrast, played 53 plays with only 15 runs. Clearly, that type of usage is going to result in predictability, or the lack thereof, based upon personnel.
Williams can't do it alone. So, my question is... which of the other RBs can spell him without becoming a "tell" for what the offense is doing?
Not a lot of data here to work with.
Ronnie Rivers likely can handle the pass-catching role. He was used in that role quite a bit in college, as he had 150 receptions in his career at Fresno State. Not sure how capable he is in the pass blocking role, though. He's pretty small. Anyone have any observations there?
Royce Freeman is much bigger, and seems (from my cursory research) to have a good track record as a pass blocker. As a receiver, he's okay (had 43 receptions in 2019). He's not a great runner, though (3.7 career ypc), and certainly not much of a big play threat.
The wildcard for me is Zach Evans. I think he could be the most talented pure runner in the Rams' RB room. He has little experience as a receiver, though (30 receptions total in three years of college). I've seen some pre-draft scouting reports that asserted he had good pass blocking skills, but it remains to be seen if he can handle that role at the pro level.
So... who's the best Swiss Army Knife to help Kyren out?
Right now, the Rams can't afford to be predictable. Playing a RB who is not adept at all three roles, therefore, is a big problem, as he can telegraph what the offense is doing simply by being on the field.
Perhaps, in addition to his attitude, this was one of the problems the Rams saw in Cam Akers. Akers played 28 snaps in Week 1. 22 of those plays were handoffs to him. Williams, by contrast, played 53 plays with only 15 runs. Clearly, that type of usage is going to result in predictability, or the lack thereof, based upon personnel.
Williams can't do it alone. So, my question is... which of the other RBs can spell him without becoming a "tell" for what the offense is doing?
Not a lot of data here to work with.
Ronnie Rivers likely can handle the pass-catching role. He was used in that role quite a bit in college, as he had 150 receptions in his career at Fresno State. Not sure how capable he is in the pass blocking role, though. He's pretty small. Anyone have any observations there?
Royce Freeman is much bigger, and seems (from my cursory research) to have a good track record as a pass blocker. As a receiver, he's okay (had 43 receptions in 2019). He's not a great runner, though (3.7 career ypc), and certainly not much of a big play threat.
The wildcard for me is Zach Evans. I think he could be the most talented pure runner in the Rams' RB room. He has little experience as a receiver, though (30 receptions total in three years of college). I've seen some pre-draft scouting reports that asserted he had good pass blocking skills, but it remains to be seen if he can handle that role at the pro level.
So... who's the best Swiss Army Knife to help Kyren out?
